


sometimes breaking is the only option

by littlecupkate



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 02, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caroline Forbes-centric, Dark, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Not Beta Read, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 12:31:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlecupkate/pseuds/littlecupkate
Summary: Barbie’s don’t shatter. They get bad haircuts and saliva dripped all over them. Their heads get popped off and popped back on. Their get legs bend in weird ways. They get forced into horrific outfits. But Barbie’s don’t shatter. Not like she did.





	sometimes breaking is the only option

**Author's Note:**

> This is a season 2 au. I wrote it a few years ago and even though I don't watch TVD anymore (stopped during s4) I kinda like it so I decided to post it.

Barbie’s don’t shatter. They get bad haircuts and salvia dripped all over them. Their heads get popped off and popped back on. Their get legs bend in weird ways. They get forced into  _ horrific  _ outfits. But Barbie’s don’t shatter. Not like she did.   


 

* * *

 

 

Caroline rounded the corner; it was the smell of blood that attracted her there if she was honest. The smell of blood, the sound of sucking, the knowledge that someone was dying; a  _ good  _ vampire like her could not resist trying save the day. She expected it to be Damon, someone she could easily yell at without fearing for her life, she could blackmail to stop by mentioning Elena. She expected it to be a simple rescue. 

She did not expect blonde hair and dimples. She did not expect to find two girls lined up to be his next meal. She did not expect to find another on the ground with her throat ripped out. She did not expect a grin to be thrown her way. “I’ll share,” was the offer. 

He moved to bite down on the second girl’s neck but Caroline flung herself in between them. His fangs missed her neck by a centimeter, so when he stood up, he was way too close.  

Later she blamed it on the fact that she hadn’t eaten in a while. Yeah, that’s why the “kill innocent people” urges came out. 

But right then, the blood was calling for her. It really wasn’t fair with the temptation so close. It was surrounding her, in a way that Caroline had never experienced before. She was never a messy eater, her blood was always contained and the scent of it was muffled by skin or a plastic bag. It had never been a haze surrounding her every sense. She never had someone encourage her to drink. She was frozen by it. 

The other vampire shrugged and reached around her, pulling the girl to stand alongside the two of them. He bit into one wrist, held it under Caroline’s mouth and moved her hands so they were holding it. Caroline looked at him with surprise written across her face and the stranger winked at her, “I told you I’d share, sweetheart,” He bit into the girl’s opposite wrist and overwhelmed Caroline’s senses again. 

She still didn’t drink yet. 

It took the blonde vampire turning the human’s wrist so that the blood dripped into Caroline’s mouth for her to snap. 

But she still did not kill that one. She was already dead by the time the blood entered Caroline’s system. 

It ultimately did not matter when her friends came around the corner to find Caroline latched onto a dead girl’s body and another one slumped up against the lockers. Not when the man had already disappeared with his third victim and left her to take the fall. Not when he made her victim to her Elena and Stefan’s disappointment. Not when he made her victim to Bonnie’s anger. 

 

They tried to rehabilitate her and did not listen when she protested. They didn’t listen to her pleads that it wasn’t her. She insisted. It did not matter. She said that they must have smelled the other man. They didn’t. 

Stefan wouldn’t allow her to go to school. Bonnie took away the daylight ring. Elena’s broken face broke her heart. 

 

Two weeks passed. Stefan declared her safe for humanity. Commented how he was amazed that she could recover so fast from an episode like that. But Bonnie would still not give her back her daylight ring. When Stefan asked, Bonnie had opened the blinds and let Caroline burn until Stefan closed them. “That’s what she deserves,” was her former friend’s answer. 

 

* * *

 

It was Damon who tried to make her feel better. Caroline guessed that Elena felt bad and tried to sway the brothers to take her out. Stefan had tried but given up when Caroline refused. Damon just dragged her out of the boardinghouse and into the only club in Mystic Falls. It didn’t matter to him that her hair and make-up weren’t expertly down. Or even that she was only wearing a tank top and pajama shorts. 

“Now remember, no eating anyone, or you’re back on house arrest. I don’t care how sweet their blood smells or how much it is pumping through their veins and making it oh so appetizing-“ Caroline elbowed him in the ribs and Damon smirked. He thought he saw a hint of his “Vampire Barbie." 

That hope was blown out when all that she did was go over to the bar to drink. It did not bother him for long. At least this way he could feed and kill without her ratting him out. 

That was the second place that Caroline saw the man with blonde hair and dimples. The first time that she saw him without blood dripping down his face. The first time that she noticed how attractive he was. It was also the first time that she walked over and hit him. 

“You set me up,” Caroline’s voice was venom. 

The asshole had the nerve to smile at her, “I’m sorry, love. I heard people coming and I did not have time to take all my baggage.” 

“If that were the truth then why didn’t you run when I arrived?” 

“You were too beautiful not to stay,” Caroline glared and he chuckled. “It’s true. I swear it, sweetheart. I must admit, I even started checking up on you these past few weeks. I hope you will accept my little olive branch,” The man reached out, took her hand, and put a small ring on her finger, “I thought you might want to be able to walk in the sun again,” 

Caroline’s eyes widened as she admired his gift. It was prettier than the ring she had before; it appeared to be much more simplistic and elegant. It was a simple band with alternating diamonds and stones. Caroline loved it. “Thank you,” she might hate the man for what he caused, but a gift like this is not one that a girl turns down. 

She got another smile, and it might have just been a trick of the light, but she could have sworn that she saw a hint of condescension to it. “It was nothing, sweetheart. Could I buy you a drink, Caroline?”

Caroline nodded, “Just a beer will be fine. Thank you, I’m sorry what’s your name?”

“Nik”

 

* * *

 

 

Monday Caroline returned to school. She had a smile on her face and hope in her heart. Too bad that neither lasted that long. At lunch, she sat down at the table that Bonnie, Elena and she usually occupy. Bonnie stood up and left, Elena was kind enough to mutter some half-assed excuse and leave. Caroline had a feeling that both of them were freaked by seeing her at school. And it appeared that they still thought that she was a danger; whenever she went to talk to any of her other friends, they all either straight up ignored her or did as Elena and said some excuse before quickly leaving. It was amazing how her friends could turn on her so quickly for a mistake that wasn’t even hers. 

When she got home, Nik was waiting for her with a member of the football team. “You can’t kill him; he’s our best chance at winning the game on Friday.”  

“That’s the only problem you have with this?” 

“No, but I know vampires don’t tend to respond to morality lectures,” Caroline crossed her arms, “If you kill him you owe me way more than a ring and a drink,”

Nik chuckled at her, “What would I owe you, sweetheart?” 

“A new player that will win us the game, two bottles of wine, a nice bubble bath, and a clean house if you get blood everywhere like you did last time,” 

“I’ll accept those conditions, love,” 

Caroline threw her hands up in exasperation, “You aren’t supposed to! You are supposed to find some other innocent human and eat them. Away. From. Me.”

“But I like eating with you,” he retorted and lowered his fangs to the boy’s neck. “Come on, Caroline, just a taste,”

Blood poured from his neck and this time Caroline would blame the stress that her friends had put her through.   

It was only a few sips. She wouldn’t have killed him. That was Nik, she swore, if it was only her than she would just take as much as a blood drive would and feed him some blood to patch him all up for Friday night’s game. She pulled back when she felt his pulse going weak. She tried to pull Nik away from the body. How was she supposed to know that when she pushed him back, he won’t release his jaw? How was she supposed to know that it would result in exposed muscles and veins? 

She thinks the worst part is that he did not even die because he was somebody’s meal. 

Nik takes the body. Promises that no one will find it and that she will not be contained in the Salvatore house for any extra days. She believes him. 

It’s too bad that her mom came home that she had time to clean her face, though. It’s too bad that her mother had to witness her daughter as a monster and remember it this time. It’s too bad that Caroline had to experience her own mother shooting her with wooden bullets. It’s lucky that Stefan was coming over for a study session. It’s lucky that he walked in at the right time. It’s lucky that he was able to save her. It’s too bad he saw her face before she could clean it. 

She told him a blood bag exploded. He told her that she shouldn’t be having human blood. He told her that she should only being drinking animal blood. Caroline had to wait another week to go back to school. 

 

* * *

 

 

They lost the game on Friday. 

 

Not that it should matter to her, she realizes. She has no one to celebrate the victories or mourn loses with anymore. She thinks that she will not graduate with her friends with how much she is missing school. Then she remembers that she does not have friends anymore. Only Stefan as a guardian to make sure she doesn’t fuck anything else up. 

Caroline swears that she hates them all. They didn’t believe her. They didn’t try to believe her. They jumped to conclusions. Really, she mostly hates herself for allowing this to happen. 

 

* * *

 

It is after cheerleading practice and under the bleachers that the third time occurs. It’s her ex-boyfriend’s blood that is already staining the grass. He tells her that Matt will die anyway. “Look at how much blood he’s already lost,” he taunts, “You can’t save him, love, you should at least make him die for something useful. 

This one she blames on the world. She blames her friends for not believing her the first time. She blames Tyler for getting in the car accident. She blames Damon for giving her his blood. She blames Katherine for killing her. She blames Stefan for forcing her to eat animal blood instead of teaching her how to control it. She blames Bonnie and Elena for abandoning her. She blames Nik for giving her a new daylight ring. She blames Matt for having such sweet smelling blood.

She thinks she hates them all for it. 

But she knows that she loves them when Bonnie and Elena look at her in horror. She knows she loves them when Bonnie makes her brain cells go “pop!” Emotional pain doesn’t come when you hate someone. 

When she crumbles she sees Matt’s body (Nik disappeared again and oh god she actually did kill Matt). “No!” she hears someone scream and looks up to see a wooden stake before a blur displaced it and the pain disappeared. Caroline was gone way before Bonnie finished explaining herself to Stefan. 

She’s running through the woods and chasing Nik’s scent (if she can smell him why can’t her friends?). She sees him in a clearing and jumps, positioning herself to be able to kill him (if she kills humans now then she should have no qualms about killing vampires). Nik grabs her by the throat and pushes her up against the nearest tree; “Is that how you repay me for finding you a nice, tasty snack, love?” he growls.

“That snack was my friend!” Caroline snaps back at him and tries to get free, "I didn't want to kill him!"  


"Are you sure? You were awful eager to get a taste of him," 

"This is your fault," Caroline growls out and is surprised when he smirks and steps away, 

"If that's what makes you feel better. The end result is still the same. Your life is in ruins," 

Caroline explodes. She screams and swears and attacks and tries to make him feel an ounce of her pain. A few hours later she's lying on the forest ground without a stitch on. The blonde man gets off of her and offers her a hand up. She accepts. 

"I won't hurt you, love," 

"You mean anymore than you already have?" 

She accepts his offer and follows him to his apartment anyway. She has nowhere else to go, after all. 

 

* * *

 

She stays in his apartment and tries not to think of the future. Caroline doesn't look at the faces of the people he brings her. She tells herself they are already dead. It is true but it doesn't make her feel better. Not liked she hoped it would. At night she takes it out on Nik until they fuck themselves out. He wears a smug smile and brings her more people than she needs. She feels guiltier. The sex gets rougher. In his opinion it's a lovely cycle. Caroline doesn't care enough to try and stop it. 

 

"It's five days until the full moon," He tells her one night. Caroline does not know why it matters and does not try to find out. 

 

Five days later, Caroline allows him to lead her outside. The moon is shining bright. She only notices it in the most abstract way. Caroline follows him blindly and does not realize what is happening until it is too late. She sees her best friend in a ring of fire and Tyler in another. 

“Niklaus,” he tells her, before pushing her into the third circle and has his witch light it. 

Caroline does not try to defend herself. She does not feel betrayed. She does not get angry. Caroline just patiently waits for her turn.  


 

* * *

 

 

Barbie’s don’t shatter. They bend and twist and get abused. They are not supposed to shatter. But that ultimately did not matter when she had her throat split open on an alter to make her tormentor's dreams come true. Her head rolled, just like an abused Barbie’s would, she pondered. She didn’t mind so much. 

 


End file.
